Richard Thompson (sprinter)
Richard "Torpedo" Thompson (born 7 June 1985) is a sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago who specializes in the 100 metres. His personal best of 9.82 seconds, set in June 2014, was one of the top ten fastest of all time, and a national record. In the 200 meters, he has the fourth fastest time by a Trinidad and Tobago athlete.
Thompson at the 2012 Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Trinidad and Tobago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 June 1985 Cascade, Trinidad & Tobago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (180 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 100 metres, 200 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | LSU Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Thompson studied at Louisiana State University (LSU) and broke the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor 60 metres record in 2008, his final season of collegiate athletics.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Thompson was the silver medalist in the 100 meters, running a then personal best of 9.89 seconds, and the gold medalist in the 4x100 meters relay along with Emmanuel Callender, Keston Bledman and Marc Burns. He also won the silver medal in the 4x100 meters at the 2012 Olympics with the same team he competed in the 2008 Olympics with. Also in the 2012 Olympics, he finished 6th following the disqualification of Tyson Gay in the final of the 100 meters. Thompson is a five time Trinidad and Tobago national champion. His current personal best of 9.82 was set at the 2014 Trinidad and Tobago national championships.
In 2017, fellow sprinter and 2008 Olympic Games men's relay gold medalist Nesta Carter was sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee for doping at the 2008 event, retroactively awarding the Trinidad and Tobago team which included Thompson Olympic Gold.